Our 2013-14 winter season had exceptional snowfall. The 2014-15 winter season had bitter cold temperatures. It will not be the weather I most remember.

My memories, however, are of the exceptional, professional efforts by the staff of the Lehigh Conference of Churches in providing support and services to some 300 individual guests spending at least one night in the 6th and Chew Street Winter Shelter in Alliance Hall, Allentown.

Across the Lehigh Valley, there are many social service agencies working to assist people who are homeless or near homeless in finding adequate housing that best meets their needs. All agencies that provide shelter programs focus on segments of the population, such as families, or youth, or men or women. No site offers services for each population. Some specialize in meeting the needs of veterans. Most provide some type of re-stabilization programs (for a designated period) to help clients re-establish themselves within the community with proper housing and gainful employment.

All of these existing programs are doing excellent work, targeting the various segments of the homeless or near-homeless population in Lehigh Valley.

Yet, for various reasons, more than 120 people each night do not participate in these program offerings. The reason may be that the program does not or cannot accommodate the client's particular circumstance. Or the reason may be that the client makes a free-will choice not to seek help from any of the structured programs.

There are compelling reasons for addressing this overflow need: systemic cost savings for medical and judicial resources and a moral imperative for caring for our less fortunate neighbors in need.

In Allentown, St. Paul's Lutheran Church led the way by opening the basement of its parish hall during four previous winter seasons.

The 6th & Chew Winter Shelter was established as a community response for the winter of 2014-15. This shelter planned to operate from Nov. 1 to April 30, offering cots, shelter monitors, case management services and a weekly medical clinic. The 6th & Chew Winter Shelter documented each guest's overnight stay to provide reliable statistics on the need for overflow sheltering. The 6th & Chew Winter Shelter was closed prematurely by the building owner on April 3 because of building security and other facility concerns.

Opinions differ on how an overflow shelter should operate. Simple compassion by enabling someone to come in from the cold is a very basic goal of any shelter. To the extent possible, additional services make a difference.

The Conference of Churches case managers provided essential assistance to 30 percent to 40 percent of our guests, moving them forward along the pathway from homelessness to being housing ready. Forty of those guests became housed during the five months of 6th & Chew Winter Shelter operations.

The Conference of Churches is grateful to the city of Allentown, Lehigh County, Wells Fargo, Brown-Daub Charities and some 200 private donors who made the 6th & Chew Winter Shelter possible. The shelter commitment was made with only a single $10 donation in hand and hope and prayer that we could find a way.

Financially, there will be some unspent money to get the next season's plan started on more solid footing. The Lehigh Conference of Churches will continue to partner with many outstanding agencies and unite communities of faith as ecumenical partners. Putting our faith into action, we minister to and advocate for those in need and encourage all to reach their full potential.

John E. Felch Jr. is executive director of the Lehigh Conference of Churches.